Of Two Minds
by Trixie21
Summary: Another character 1shot, this time it's 'Grandpa' telling us his feelings about what has happened. T for some language.


Wow. I totally forgot I still had this on disk. It's not much. Just a little character view one shot to go along with my others. This one features one of my favorite characters, Sugoroku Mutou; aka Grandpa. I don't know why, but there's something about certain background characters that always makes me think more in depth about them. I suppose that's why I started that Sugoroku story ages back. I really should get part 2 of that going again. Anyway, as I stated this is from Grandpa's point of view over Yugi's role in things though I can't remember at this point whether it's based on Manga or Anime or both. Probably Manga. Oh well. Again, nothing special. I think I'll be happy enough if you dear readers didn't get sick over it. Oh, and it's rated T just for some mild language use. It is Grandpa after all. ;)

* * *

Okay, you all know the drill. I have to take up valuable space and time to say that I do not own any part that is the coolness of the Yu-Gi-Oh universe. That honor goes completely to Kazuki Takahashi. (Authoress as she bows subserviently before her shrine of great creators...) "We're not worthy! We're not worthy! We're not worthy!"

* * *

**Of Two Minds**

I suppose if one were to ask my opinion on the matter, which, as usual, no one has, I honestly would have to say that I was of two minds about it all.

How so?

Well, I'll tell you.

Hmm, which side should I tell you first?

Oh ho ho!

You want to hear the Grandfather side of it eh?

Alright, I suppose it would seem the more…logical of the two to begin with, not that anyone around here thinks logically.

Except for maybe me.

Anyway, where was I?

Ah yes.

The grandfather point of view.

Well, as a grandfather I would have to say that in the beginning, I was downright pissed at it all.

Seriously.

Here I am, trying to help raise my grandson in as normal a lifestyle as one like me possible can, and what happens to him?

He gets …possessed, by that puzzle.

On my watch no less!

The box said that the solver would have the power to judge right and wrong, not be taken over!

My ordinary, everyday, average grandson Yugi.

Who would have thought?

Well yes…alright.

I admit it.

I was really quite proud of him.

He at least finished the darn thing.

Took him eight years to do it, but at least he could.

I think I gave up after eight months…or was it eight weeks?

No matter.

The point is, he did it.

He stuck with it and never gave up.

Now that's a Mutou for you!

Never say die, never give in or up, never back down…

So he was never the most outgoing boy on the block, so what?

He had persistence and that's what really counted.

Amazed me that's for sure, and I'm pretty hard to impress.

Most people never see it coming when it's from him.

Quiet and shy with most folks, never any trouble, kept his nose clean, always a smile…

Sometimes I swore that boy was too nice.

He just kept to himself and played his games.

I was starting to think he'd never have any friends, but then he met that nice girl Anzu and they hit it off well.

Of course I know he'd like it tobe more than just 'well' with her.

Not that I blame him.

She is a rather well made girl…

Um…ahem…anyway…

Lets see, where was I…talking about his friends…oh yes!

Anyway, that Jonouchi character and Honda joined in with him too.

Such a pair of goof headed slackers.

Honestly, what on earth ever made Yugi pick them as friends?

Not that I'm complaining mind you.

They did prove to be every bit as loyal to him as you're likely to find in this day and age.

Those two put their lives on the line more than once for him too.

Then there's that Bakura fellow.

Nice boy, too quiet though.

Even quieter than Yugi and that's saying something.

He's always either looking thoughtful or apprehensive, and there's something else…

Something I just can't quite put my finger on.

Of course he stuck it out with Yugi too so I can't really complain…even if he does make me wonder.

It's just too much for this old man sometimes.

Gods, and I thought I had it tough as a kid.

At least I didn't have to save my grandfather, save my friends, save the world, and send an ancient Egyptian spirit to the after life.

I just had to find the damn puzzle.

That I couldn't solve…

Because it wasn't _my_ destiny…

I just had to be the go between.

The man in the middle.

The delivery boy.

I was just a link between the divine will of the gods and their chosen one.

Really tells you my place in the grand scheme of things doesn't it?

Heh heh.

Not that I mind.

At least I had a part to play.

At least I was able to do something for my grandson beside embarrass him once in a while.

Oh yes…I know I do.

All grandparents do.

Its what we live for.

Truthfully, I didn't mind that I was just playing FED-EX man.

I am really proud that my grandson was chosen to do all he has.

If any one could, it would be him.

He never gives up.

He could have walked away from it, or ignored it.

Could have shoved the thing in the back of a closet someplace and forgotten all about it.

But he didn't.

He finished that puzzle, accepted his destiny, and never looked back.

I've never seen a braver boy.

He was so courageous and self sacrificing about it all.

He didn't even act like he was doing anything special!

There he is, saving the world, and its just another day to him.

'King of Games', ha!

That title means about as much to him as a bathroom.

It's there because you might need it, not necessarily because you wanted it.

What grandparent wouldn't be proud of a grandchild like that?

He says its all the pharaoh's work.

Absolute nonsense.

I've seen that boy play some serious games and he could never once convince me that it was completely up to the spirit of the puzzle.

That was just as much Yugi as it was that other side.

Cold and calculating may have been the darkness, but those insightful and trustingly believed plays were all Yugi.

It had to be.

It's in the blood after all.

The only thing I never truly could find myself agreeing to in perfectly good conscience was the danger involved.

Someone was always after him.

Trying to steal the puzzle, or steal his cards, or his friends, or his life…or even me!

No, I think he could have done every well without all the danger thank you very much.

Of course that would have meant that there was no threat to the world, not that I would mind that either.

But I guess that without it, Yugi wouldn't be the young man he is today if it hadn't have happened.

At least I wouldn't have had to worry so much…or have a heart attack…or lose my soul…or replace numerous windows on the house….

We poor innocent bystanders.

Really.

Of course I worried about my grandson!

Why wouldn't I?

Just because I was a reckless, arrogant, self centered, egotistical jack ass, who deserved to have his legs taken out from under him once in a while when I was young, doesn't mean that I would want Yugi to go through that too.

He's really too nice a boy for that.

Again with the "too nice" phrase.

But he is.

Its what makes some people want to see him hurt.

They look at themselves and see nothing but pain and hurt and their evolved bitterness over it all.

They look at Yugi and see pain and hurt too, but his response to it is kindness, understanding and gentility.

They become guilty because they didn't try to be more like him no matter what life threw at them, and jealous because he has it and it wasn't offered to them on a sliver plate.

The worst part is that people don't even realize why they want to hurt my poor boy.

They're in such denial over the whole thing that they can't see the truth and they convince themselves that its just because he's nice, or short or has a different hairstyle.

Not that he's really short.

Not for Japan anyway.

And I don't understand the fuss that people make over his hair.

At least he tames it.

When my hair was like that, I just clamped a hat down on it to keep it under control.

So anyway, there you have it.

As a grandfather I am proud as hell of that boy.

Scared for him, worried over him, but darn proud.

-

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-

I said there was more?

Oh.

Yes I did, didn't I.

The other side of it.

Well, this is where it gets a little difficult for some folks to understand.

Mutous are very, well…we tend to be… competitive.

I did quite a bit of gaming in my day and walked into more than a little danger as well.

Of course I was a pretty arrogant jerk back than.

Thought I could take it all on and never lose.

Looking at it from that side, I have to admit that I was a little…jealous of Yugi.

I mean, he got to take on the craziest people in the world.

I would have given anything to play those games when I was a kid!

To feel that power, to know that rush!

Sure I could have died, but what the hell's the fun if it isn't a real challenge?

Forget money here folks.

Lets talk about the high.

It gets boring winning all the time and its not worth it if you WILL die.

But having that possibility to go either way…

Now that was what I lived for!

The challenge of life and death…

The dares that proved that I was the best or would die the worst…

I fully admit that I pushed the envelope every chance I got.

That's the difference between Yugi and I and our challenges.

Yugi did it because he had to.

I did it because I wanted to.

It always came to him.

I went out looking for it.

I watched Yugi play those games and listened to those stories he and his friends told and I had to try my hardest to hold my tongue and not interfere.

But how I wanted too!

What I would have given to live my glory days all over again and prove who was the better man.

Sure it was my grandson, but he could still be competition.

He has every bit of the intelligence, the persistence, and the determination that I did as a young gamer and to test that against my skill and abilities…now that would be a challenge!

It would almost be like playing myself really.

Sort of.

Me minus a few years in age and about twenty tons of swagger.

Okay, okay!

Old man I may be, but I'm not dead yet.

There still beats the heart of a 'never say die' gamer in this chest.

Yes, yes!

So it does get a little help from a pacemaker.

Humph.

Perhaps I should shut up before I dig my grave any deeper.

Oh, did I just say grave?

Figures.

Can we get back on subject here?

As I was saying…

Yes, if I had the chance to do what Yugi had, I might have jumped at it.

If I had been offered the chance to step in and do those things myself, I might have considered it.

If anyone ever gave me the chance to play a truly serious game against my grandson I might sit right down and say 'bring it on'.

It's who I am.

But it's also who Yugi is.

He doesn't back down from a challenge and neither do I.

We never bring anything but our very best to the table or field.

We never concede to defeat or cash in the chips until the game is fully over and the cards have all been boxed.

We both respect out opponents and neither of us are poor losers, or worse, poor winners.

Yes, I've played games with Yugi before.

Board games, card games, dice games…and I have never taken it easy on him.

But I have never played for life or death with him.

Not that I would ever place him in such a position.

He is my grandson after all.

The thought of it as a challenge is immeasurably appealing though.

And yet, at the same time, I find myself a little scared of the idea as well.

Once again, not because I could be tempted to that route.

That would never happen.

But hypothetically speaking, if it ever did, I have the distinct feeling that losing would somehow be a win, and a win would really be a loss.

To lose would mean that Yugi was the greater of us.

He would go on and I would be left behind.

To say that only my own grandson could defeat me would be a unique and incredibly wonderful boast.

But if I were to win…

I would have only that, and what would it mean afterwards if Yugi was gone?

Certainly nothing.

I'm rather lucky then, that I was chosen merely as an errand boy and not as his opponent.

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-

-

I love my grandson.

More than anyone could possibly know.

I'm telling you this, well…only because I'm just an old man who doesn't account for much these days.

I don't know how many more years I really have left here.

Not as many as Yugi hopes I'm sure.

You can imagine that as a 'risk my own life' gamer, health was never my priority.

Stupid really.

I never thought past my next game or challenge so why would I ever consider smoking or eating the 'best I could find' unhealthy?

Even after I was married, I still didn't think that far into the future.

I kept playing my games, challenging the best and did just like I'd always done.

Thankfully, that is one way in which Yugi and I are as different as night and day.

He always looks to the future with hope and abandon.

For me…what was the future?

When another game would be held?

Yes.

Until Yugi came into the world.

Everything I thought the world to be was turned upside down when I first saw him.

I quit smoking because we were told it was bad for babies to be around.

It never mattered before that I could die from it.

I ate healthier foods because we were told that a child will copy many of his own likes and dislikes after those that he views within a family or household.

I could have cared less that changing my diet would have decreased the risk of stroke or clots and given clogged arteries a chance to clear.

I even stopped chancing my life so I could have more of it to spend with my grandson.

It certainly wasn't because I was afraid to die.

After all, what is death but the last great adventure?

I may study Yugi's style of playing and disagree with some of his moves…

I may critique him on occasion and throw in my unneeded two cents…

And I may even have to ground him on a very rare occasion…

But I will always want and try to do only the best for him.

If that means changing my life to make him happiest and safest, then that's the way it will be.

No matter which side of the coin I stand.

Yes, I may be of two minds, but one thing is clear to them both.

I love my grandson, and at this stage of the game…

…isn't that what's most important?

* * *

Okay. That wasn't too bad, was it? Was it? Oh no! They're not answering! OMG! I've killed my readers with my boredom!

Lol. Anyway, if you feel the need to review, please go right ahead and do so. If not, oh well. Life goes on.

Later!

Trixie21

Aka: Yugi-fan-supreme (with extra nuts please!)


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